The War of Shadows and Light
by brendan yo
Summary: The story follows a group of pretty much nomadic shadowhunters through a post-apocolyptic world after a huge war leaves the human race scarecely spread through the world. Original plot. Can get graphic at times.
1. The Woman

**This story takes place in a future-type world. A great war between the underworld and the humans broke out after the discovery made by humans of the underworld. The underworld creatures almost succeeded in eliminating the entire human race before the Shadowhunters successfully stopped the war. But with the majority of the humans gone on Earth, underworlders have become more abundant and now occupy most of the land. Few humans remain, and the world lies in chaos, with only the new accords dictating the inhabitants. **

"God damned vampires." Erik Heartfield tore through the dark warehouse with only a small witchlight dangling from his chest. He saw a dark shadow in the corner of his eye moving rapidly, and he turned rapidly. "Gabriel." He whispered, and the small daggers in his hands lit up. He flicked his wrist and sent three of them into the vampires chest. The beast burst into ashes and gore, and hit the floor with a sickening slap, followed by the soft hissing of the ash as it blanketed the darkness beneath his feet. His chest rose and fell slightly, almost rhythmically. As he stood in silence, listening, he could hear the blood pumping through his blessed veins; he could feel the adrenaline coursing through his limbs. The knives he carried were of a somewhat enchanted sort. They were bits of seraph blades that were cut meticulously by a skilled craftsmen, and blessed by priests. They were barely the length of his entire hand. He could throw them with deadly precision, and also had an uncanny ability to strike his opponents in debilitating areas. His mouth hung slightly open, and he pushed his short black hair of his forehead. His leaf green irises scanned the area as best as they could; the immediate area around him was flooded with the romantic glare of the witchlight, but the rest of the room was threateningly dark.

Above him hung an old chandelier; the diamonds that lazily draped from the gold swoops moved ever so slightly, catching and casting the white light in an eerie manner. Underneath, on the ground, lay an object covered in a white sheet. It was obviously an elongated table with its dramatically sharp four corners and immaculately flat top. Around the table stood chairs, some standing upright, others lying broken under the shadow of the table. As the silence became deafening, Erik began to relax slightly. Then, abruptly, a crash came from the other room. Erik started with a leap, dashing forward with inhuman speed. He tore through the double wide doorway with ornate sides into a room where a witchlight, such as the one he wore, was throwing its light off various walls. The source of the light came from the end of a long staff that Declan Farrows was adeptly swinging around the room. Erik saw as a vampire lunged from one side of the room while Declan fought another. It seemed that Declan almost felt the silent predator lunging, and he swiftly rolled frontwards, vaulting himself high with the staff. With a rugged grunt, Declan landed with knees bent, and the vampires collided behind him. He turned, thrusting the staff forward and piercing both of the vampires chest as the blade of the staff elongated a good three feet. Erik always admired the contraption Declan utilized so beautifully. It was only about five feet tall, but a small switch sent a retractable blade of three feet speeding out. The vampires screamed, and Declan twisted his wrist, and they both evaporated similar to the one Erik had just taken care of.

"Fantastic." Declan said, looking down at himself, his body covered in red waste. "Vampire blood is a bitch to clean." Erik smiled sideways, checking behind him to make sure he was not about to be assaulted.

"Have you found the girl then?" Erik asked, a soft German accent pervading his speech.

"Which part of her?" Declan said, his accent hinting slightly as Irish. Erik grimaced, not expecting such a response. But Declan smiled back. "I'm joking. I haven't found her yet. But I'm assuming she's close judging by the vampire barrage that we just underwent."

Erik stepped forward, pressing Declan on the shoulder to push him out of the way. Declan thrust his head forward and purred in Erik's ear, sending chills down his spine. Declan was an attractive boy, lightly shaded brown hair that always seemed immaculately tousled, a pale yet clear complexion key to so many of the Irish, and the predictable navy blue eyes. He was also uncomfortably flirtatious with...well everyone. Erik was more of a conserved boy, only having ever the privilege of a woman in his bed once, where he proceeded to fall asleep on the girl because of the ridiculous amounts of alcohol he had consumed. Declan, on the other hand, was a raging nymphomaniac, bringing home all sorts of men and woman and other various creatures. Erik turned his head and glared at him, Declan chuckled. Erik, although the leader of the traveling pack of shadow hunters that they belonged too, always felt inferior to Declan. He stood a good four inches under him. Declan having a tall build that filled out almost too proportionally. Erik was 5'10, also muscular, but just not as wide as Declan. But he still scowled at him and continued on.

"Through this door then." Erik decided, seeing an exit on the opposite end of the room adorned with a large bar in front of it. He approached it and removed his steele from his belt. He drew a large opening rune, and the door creaked slightly, and then opened with a loud bang. Declan moved forward first, patting Erik on his butt.

"I swear to the angels, Lan." Erik started, but Declan brushed him off. They moved in, again illuminating the previously dark room with their flood of white light. The room was entirely empty; the walls composed of a grey metal, and only a chair in the middle of the floor. But what caught their attention was the small girl dressed from head to toe in white, sitting in the chair before them. Her arms crossed as well as her legs. Her head was hooded, but they could both see the smiling red lips of the girl. The armor she wore was identical to Erik and Declan's, save the pure color of it. Declan broke the silence "What the..." But before he could finish the woman was standing, almost as if she had teleported.

"Oh, here are the Shadowhunters, come to rescue the damsel in distress." Her head remained at a slight downwards incline, so her features still could not be defined. "How ever shall I thank you? Flowers? Money? A night in bed?" She chuckled mysteriously.

"What are you doing here, sister?" Erik asked formally.

"I am not your sister." She spat. "I was captured by this coven and clearly one of my comrades requested my saving." She said, standing at an oddly far distance from the boys.

"Well you wear runes and the armor of a Shadowhunter." Erik explained. "So unless that is a very original Halloween costume, you appear to be my sister."

"I am no Shadowhunter." She attacked back at him. "I bring light, I do not hunt shadows. Thus, deeming be a Lightbringer."

Declan cocked his head. "A what?"

"A Lightbringer, you moron. I came to this coven in order to try and convince these vampires to join in our movement of equality. Unfortunately there were of ancient customs and attacked me."

"We are all equals." Erik said firmly. The girl snorted contemptuously.

"Ever since the destruction of the majority of the mundane population, you Shadowhunters have made the accords so strict that you are choking out almost every creature of the underworld."

"That is to prevent another mass extinction of a race." Declan said, walking toward the woman. "Now take your hood off an look at me." He said, standing with in feet of her. But as he reached for her, she evaporated, and reappeared almost directly behind him. Erik's eyes widened, and the woman kicked Declan square in the back. He stumbled forward but did not fall. Turning around, he squared his shoulders and placed both hands on his staff. "That was a pretty lame kick." He said tauntingly. The girl ignored him, and ran off, dashing past Erik with immense speed. He tossed a knife in her direction, but the girl swerved. They both took off after her, but even at their full speed, her agility far exceeded theirs. As she dashed into the room where the Chandelier hang, the boys watched as the woman crashed through the window, which was a good four stories above the ground. They stopped, and watched as the girl quickly took out a shining object, that flashed blindingly. When the boys could see again, the girl was gone, as if she had assimilated into the air.

"What the fuck was that?" Declan yelled, looking like he was about to pass out.

"I have no idea." Erik replied quietly. Declan ran to the window, trying to find any trace of the woman but to no avail. He put his hand behind his head and whistled.

"What do you think she was talking about, with the Lightbringers and all that?" Erik asked, almost rhetorically.

"I have no idea." Declan said, still looking out the window. "...But she sounded super sexy."

"You're a Goddamn moron, Farrows."

Declan turned and gave him a wink. The boys moved toward the exit, both trying not to let the other know how visibly shaken they were.


	2. The Warlock

Leila Sparks watched the fire ignite as she finished her rune and stepped back. With a crescendo like hiss, the flame flashed from the triangular rune placed on the street in front of a dilapidated building. The few other faces around the fire lit up, from under their chin, so eerie shadows dramatized their already dark features. Her younger brother, Russell, who had medium length brown hair that shadowed his forehead, sat on a crumbled pillar with hands folded over his knees and his head bent slightly down. He was only sixteen, and he had already been through a catastrophic war and fought his face share of battles. He kept a thin sword at his side, and his armor was customized to open loosely at the neck. Strings crissed-crossed down the V shape that revealed his tanned complexion. He complained at the traditional armor was too restrictive, so in turn had his own armor customized. Partly because he was the youngest of the bunch, and partly because he could throw quite a fit if crossed. His pants sagged around his legs and were tucked in to soft leather boots. He had a very renaissance-era look to him, but was most certainly no knight. He was quite a trouble maker when he wanted to be, but also one of the most valuable fighters in their nomadic group.

Next was Alexia, a girl or woman of indeterminate age. Her blond hair was cut dramatically above her dramatic jaw line, exaggerating her full red lips. She was quite and cold, but beautiful...and of course deadly. On her back she wore a curved and deadly looking piece of metal; it was crescent shaped and about the circumference of her entire upper body. When the time was necessary, she could detach that slab of metal from her back, deftly flick it with her hand, and it would open into a full circle, like a hula-hoop...a deadly, frightening, hula-hoop. It's sleek metal reflected the newborn fire menacingly, making the weapon seem all the more lethal.

Lastly was Phoebe. She wore a knee length floral dress. Her hair resembled the color of a turning leaf in autumn. It hung loosely in weak curls around her soft round face. Her features were petite, and she sat cross legged on the pillar next to Russell. Her arm closest to him had its hand slightly pointed and extended toward his, as if she was begging for him to hold it, but Russell kept his head down. She wore no weapon, and no armor for the fact that she was one of the few remaining humans left in the world. Her thin legs crossed at the bottom by her ankles, and she also sat with her head slightly down. They had found her roaming around with a vampire, not knowing of his supernatural origins because of the vampires overpowering glamour on the girl. She, also sixteen, lost her family to the clan of vampires. They left the girl for various uses. Fortunately, her exposure to the vampires was brief. She only had been introduced to vampire blood once, so she was cured by the Alexia, after being nearly drowned in a vat of holy water. It remained a mystery why the vampires would keep such a small girl, but the belief was that her petite features were appealing to the gruff looking vampire she had been following around.

"Zey have been in zere for a while." Alexia announced, in a heavy French accent. "Shall we go and look for zem?"

"No..." Leila sighed, wishing that she could go looking for the boys. "You know they will be alright. They are always alright."

Alexia snorted, crossing her arms and sitting backwards. Phoebe looked up as if she were about to say something, but then just exhaled audibly and put her head back down. They sat in anticipated silence for a couple more minutes until they heard the customary whistling of Declan. Leila sprang up, her chocolate thick hair bouncing dramatically as she did. She regained herself, trying not to look too relieved.

"How did it go?" She asked, fighting the eagerness in her voice.

Declan chuckled. "Well...it went I suppose."

Erik shook his head. "The girl we went to save ended up running away after kicking Declan's ass." He said and saw Declan begin to protest. Erik spoke over him. "She was wearing Shadowhunter armor, but it was all white. And she called herself a Lightbringer."

"That was the first time I saw altered armor...besides yours of course, princess." He chided at Russell. Russell looked up, went to speak, but simply raised his middle finger to Declan.

"Bite me, Farrows."

"Don't tempt me, Sparks." Declan said with a wink. Leila stepped forward and landed a straight punch to Declan's stomach. The air in his body exited through his mouth with a tough "oof".

"No flirting with my brother. That's just...weird." She said, the hairs on her neck standing down. Smoothing her hair back, she straightened her shoulders. "What next then, boys?"

Erik looked around, they seemed to have set up a camp in front of what used to be a town hall. Dozens of wide stone steps led up to a white concrete building where it seemed that several columns used to stand. Now the columns lay below Russell and Phoebes bum. "I believe we do our best to look into this Lightbringers group, if it is a real thing. Does anyone have any information on the informant that requested this job?"

Everyone stayed silent. Erik sighed, and looked at his feet. He scuffed his heels, noticing a stringy piece of red flaying from his soles.

"Well, that's a start." Declan patronized.

"Shall we inform zee world clave?"

"No, Alex." Erik began, deflated, "They told us only to contact them with information of a real emergency. One potentially crazy Shadowhunter is no threat in their eyes."

The world clave was the organization of extremely powerful Shadowhunters that took over, essentially, the entire world once the war broke out. They recruited thousands of new silent brothers who doubled the amount of sacrificial runes, so they were 100 times more powerful. Unfortunately they only lasted about a year before they were destroyed from the power of the runes. Only five remained, but they are entirely immobile, and lay in an obscure area of Idris. They are known as the Five Saviors. The organization of Shadowhunters that now govern the world Clave were selected by the Saviors, based on skill, fortitude, and knowledge. There are a total of 25 World Clave members, each residing from different areas of the world. In attempt to restore order to the world, the World clave sent out specialized groups of Shadowhunters to graze the world, looking for any human survivors, and also attempting to maintain peace. Erik's group was designated to the East coast of the United States with a major focus on New York City. They were top of the line warriors. When they had encountered Phoebe, they immediately informed the World Clave. Unfortunately, she was not granted entry to Idris because of her exposure to vampire blood. The Clave ordered that she remain under their watch for an entire year before they could again judge her and potentially allow her access to Idris. It has only been three months since Phoebe has been found.

"Erik's right." Declan confirmed. "They'll blow us off just like they did about the little mundane over there." He said before being pelted in the head by a rock. "Ow, you little shit!" He said, turning to Russell.

"Stop being such a dick, Farrows." Russell said, picking up another rock. Erik stood in front of Declan, who was rubbing his head.

"Okay boys. Let's keep it cool. It's dark and we're out in the open, so let's stay alert." Erik rubbed his eyes, trying to think of their next move. "Declan, I want you to go ask the Fair People what they can tell us about this woman."

"What the hell? Why me?"

"Because they like you. That, or call up one of you warlock booty calls."

"Screw you." Declan said, angrily, but promptly extracted a small pouch from his clothing. Out of that pouch he took a small crystal. He examined it closely, and threw it to the ground. It sparkled flamboyantly and released a cloud of neon, color changing smoke.

"Ugh, please don't tell me you're calling..." Erik was interrupted when a loud 'crack' deafened him, and all the others. A tall, lanky man appeared, his hair powder white and spiked about his head. He wore a black and white striped shirt that was tasseled by his hands, which were not visible. His face was in a snarky smirk. "There's the handsome boy." He said, his voice oozing of sultriness. He ran forward and shoved his mouth on Declan's, promptly running his hand down the boys chest to his crotch, where he squeezed lightly.

"Oh please! Stop!" Erik yelled, and the Warlock broke from his embrace, still smiling.

"Are you not a fan of public displays of affection, boy?"

"No, nor am I a fan of public soft-core porn."

Declan stood there, his expression unreadable. Possibly amused, possibly disgusted. "I need your help, Jazz."

"Aw, too lonely tonight again?" He asked, pouting his lip mockingly.

"No, I need you to help me find out who this woman is." He said, rummaging through his pocket until slowly pulling out a seemingly invisible item, which he held to his face carefully.

"What is that?" Leila inquired.

"He pulled off a piece of the girl's hair before she kicked his ass." Erik explained. Declan again began to protest, but the warlock he called Jazz interrupted.

"You're a prick, Farrows. I came all the way here, thinking you were ready for _this,' _he said, motioning to himself, "and you just want me to lick a piece of goddamn hair?" He spat, snatching the hair from his hand.

"Jazz, you teleported, it's not that difficult."

"Oh so now you're an export on magic?"

"No, but I know you get more winded after a couple minutes with me than you are after teleporting. And I'm talking about the times when I'm nice." He said, and Jazz blushed.

"Very well. But I'm still quite angry with you." He said, his voice sounding almost hysterical with laughter. He held the piece of hair up to his face, and opened his mouth. His tongue slithered out, but it made the others skin crawl. It was long and divided at the end, like that of a snakes. Slowly, he ran his tongue down the hair, looking perplexed. When he reached the bottom, he retracted his tongue with a revolting slurp. His eyes flashed, and his smile faded. "I've never tasted this before. Well I have, but not all of these at once." He said, trying to figure out his thoughts.

"What do you mean?" Inquired Leila.

"I mean that this hair tastes of almost every Downworlder species, along with that of a human and Shadowhunter." He said, his voice trailing off at the last few words.

"Well what zee hell does zat mean?"

"It means," Declan said with a profound sincerity to his voice, "that there is some fucked up things going on."

Jazz removed a glass vial from his pocket and placed the hair inside of it. He then shoved the hair back into his pocket.

"Jazz, I need that." Declan demanded.

"You can have it next time you come over. And you can take it out of my pants yourself." He said with a wink, and then vanished into a sparkling cloud of smoke.

Declan stared at the smoke, and then turned at the bewildered others. "Well...shit."


End file.
